SYNOPSIS (IMDB)
Baltimore. New Year's Eve. A talented but troubled police officer Eleanor (Shailene Woodley) is recruited by the FBI's chief investigator Lt. Lammark (Ben Mendelsohn) to help profile and track down a disturbed individual terrorizing the city.
REVIEW
It has the right rhythm, for a thriller, in building up to the ending and finally revealing who the main perpetrator is. The master-and-apprentice relationship between Eleanor and Lt. Lammark cannot be done any better. The latter knows the trade and hand-picked Eleanor to help with the investigation. Lt. Lammark does so because he sees what Eleanor could do knowing her abusive and dark personal background.
This movie couldn't have made it without the performance of Ben Mendelsohn as Lammark. He made us believe he knows his stuff, which brings me to the spoiler review.
SPOILER REVIEW - A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
From the opening scene, NYPD Lt. Lammark presents himself as the authority in reading the mind of a killer. At first, to me it is normal up to a point it is as if he knows a little bit too much. And some of his steps in the investigation have made me believe that he does not want the killer to be caught.
It made me think. Who else could've pulled out 29 random sniper kills in one night, and covered the act behind the sound of the New Year fireworks? And considering his age, the very rare sniper rifle that is not on record made me think that the killer is Lt. Lammark.
I was waiting for the film to reveal his agenda and putting quite a show to make his mark and fight against the system. Quite a build-up for a villain! And as a psycho, as he would've been, he wanna play catch with Eleanor!
To add to that, there is a scene where the news broadcaster says "this is not the product of a monster, they're the product of a man. A dangerous man, sure. But damaged too." While that happens, Eleanor turn her head around and the frame shows Lt. Lammark sitting with his eyes closed.
That is called a non-diegetic way of telling something in films. But sadly it didn't happen. The next scene made the possibility of Lt. Lammark being that villain gone into the dumpster. He is a homosexual and lives with his 'wife'. It was a disappointment for me ....and Eleanor!
From then on the story goes as how other police investigation story go. Could've been way better.
Currently showing on Netflix